Destined To Be Deceived
by Rikui
Summary: In a world where Digidestined believe one thing, what happens when the popular belief is proven wrong? What happens then?
1. The Prologue

**Destined To Be Deceived**

Note: This is a new fic of mine. Feel free to flame it, or whatever you won't. Constructive criticism would be helpful, though.

**Prologue**

The crests. The crests are the key to Digivolving, or so some believe. Others, however, think that is not so. These ones believe that the key to divi-evolution lies in the heart of the Tamers, the Digi-destined. Without the right thing in their heart, evolution cannot be done. The popular belief is wrong.

The Digi-destined do not need Crests. How do I know this? It's simple. I was there the day that this was proven wrong; I was one of the ones to disprove it. We were just the Chosens of a particular thing, a particular element; the Crests were just used as a symbol, to boost our confidence. However, one day, the Crests seemed not to work. We couldn't evolve, because they were destroyed, and we believed that the Crests were needed in order to have our Digimon go to the next level. We were wrong. We were destined to be deceived.

We paid for it dearly, though in the end we figured it out. This tale is so that you will all know the truth that is hidden from every group of Digi-destined; the truth that will make it so that what happened to us never happens again. That would be the worst thing in the world. I know.

My name is Rikui Hirotashi, and this is my tale. Listen to it carefully, for it is important. It will mean either that you can continue among the living, or that you will die. There is no in-between.


	2. The Chosen

**Destined To Be Deceived**

Author's Note: Well, here's the 'official' first chapter. Sorry about taking so long-I lost interest in it for awhile, though it's finished now. Finally, you get to learn the identities of the chosen…I think that this chapter is rightly named, don't you? Anyways…on to the story.

**Chapter One: The Chosen**

Another boring uneventful day at school was coming to a close, mused young fourteen year-old Rikui Hirotashi. Were days at school ever interesting and eventful? If so, he had never heard of a day that was like that. He only knew about the days where you could sit in class; mentally tune out, all the while looking to the front and pretending that you were actually paying attention, because of the look on your face. The boy rarely paid attention anymore, and besides, who did? It was almost summer, and soon there wouldn't be any school. Then, the days would really get to be interesting.

Like every other kid his age in the world at this time of year, Rikui longed for the summer to come. He longed to not have to go to school, to be able to wallow in bed for as long as he wanted, and to fully enjoy the streets of his hometown, Tokyo. He just wanted to not have to go to school ever again.

However, it seemed as if that wouldn't be so. As soon as school let out, his parents were going to send him off to a year-round boarding school, because they thought that his attitude needed to change. He should care about school, and stop being a slacker. At least, that was their opinion. Rikui did care about it; during the first part of the school year. The rest of it just seemed so pointless. The jet-black haired boy shoved his cream-toned hands into the pockets of his blue jeans, sighing lightly. What a wonderful life he had.

His light green eyes were rooted onto the annoyingly clean floor that he was walking on, not paying any attention to where he was going, or who else was in the halls. That was when he smacked into something, and he was sent sprawling onto the floor, his hands falling out of the pockets. The thing that he had bumped into, an obviously older and bigger boy, bent down and picked up the small-sized Rikui by the neck of his black shirt, pulling him close to his face. "Were you going somewhere, Hiro?" the larger boy asked, using the first part of his last name to address him. Very few people actually addressed Rikui by his full last name, and it was scarce to hear someone call him Rikui. In this school, little people respected the usually intelligent boy.

The bully, for that's what he was, looked to be at least a year older than him, possibly even two. His dark brown hair was oily, and in desperate need of being cleaned, just like the rest of him. He looked like the perfect picture of a slob, with his ripped jeans and food-stained, once white shirt. "As a matter of fact, he was coming with me, Lenorin," a stern and commanding voice said. The voice came from off to the side, from a fifteen year-old boy with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, and a scowl on his face. Lenorin, the bully, immediately let Rikui go and scurried off, glancing over at the newcomer as he went. "Hey, you okay?" the other boy asked, unfolding his hands and helping Rikui up to his feet.

"Yea, thanks. I just didn't see that guy," Rikui replied, nodding as he got to his feet, brushing himself off lightly, before looking at his rescuer. He had never seen the kid before, though that was no surprise. He barely knew anyone here; he was, in fact, the 'new kid' at the school, even though he had gone to the school for the past two years. He just wasn't accepted into the crowd. Yet. "I'm Rikui Hirotashi."

"I know. I guessed that from Lenorin. My name's Arian Tiysuki, though people sometimes call me just Ari. So, you're Hiro, huh? People say that you're strange, because you don't have any friends," Arian Tiysuki replied, as the two started to walk down the hall, and out of the school doors.

"Yep. That's me. The weird kid," Rikui said simply, shrugging a little as he walked. He had gotten used to being called weird, and it didn't come as a shock that Arian knew him, even though he himself had never met the other boy before. The two soon feel into a bit of an awkward silence as they walked along. However, the silence was broken as they walked by the ringing of the phones that each of them owned, currently residing in their pockets. Both took the cell phones out of their pockets and looked at the screen, only to find them blank. They glanced at each other, before looking back at the screens.

_Hiro, there are those elsewhere who need you. They are calling to you, Hirotashi, and you must come meet them. Look inside yourself and find the strength to go and see who they are, to find them. You are direly needed._ Those words came from Rikui's cell phone, and he frowned in confusion, not understanding what was meant. This was weird. The cell phone was now beginning to light up, and he felt like he would were he currently on a fast-moving roller coaster going down a steep incline.

_Tiysuki, the boy who is calm in the face of everything that comes your way. Your will and inner strength are needed, as well as your sense of what is right. Look inside, and find what is needed. Everything that you will ever need resides in there. _Arian's cell phone was having the same phenomenon as Rikui's, with the light and the feeling of being on a roller coaster. A few minutes later, Lenorin walked through the space where they had been, looking for them; they weren't there anymore.

Things just couldn't be better…or could they? Was his life not as good as he thought it was? Could it go differently? Young eleven year-old Calin Jiyasaki didn't know the answer to that question, but he could guess. He thought that he had everything in the world; rich parents, no younger or older brothers to keep the attention off of him, good food, and good clothes. However, there was something that he was lacking. Something that he had only heard about and never actually witnessed. The love of a family. His parents were too busy with this or that, and he always had to act proper and good, with the best of manners, especially when he was around guests. The house servants paid him some attention, that was true, but no where near what he guessed that the average, normal person received from others.

He just wasn't normal. That came from coming from one of the families that were better off; besides, he had lived his whole life so far like this, so why change it now? He really wanted to know if his parents even cared about him. At the moment, he knew that they cared about money. A lot. He just didn't know if they cared about _him_. That's what was bothering the boy; the fact that he wasn't sure if they cared about him. Sighing, he walked out of his room and headed downstairs towards the entrance room, and quickly calling out that he was going outside, he walked onto the streets of Sariwon, North Korea. Dark brown eyes surveyed those were around, before he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. This day, he had chosen to wear more ordinary, casual clothes. Sighing again, he reached up with one hand to brush a lock of his dark black hair. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he wanted to go somewhere away from his house.

While he was walking, he came to one of the shops on the street that sold TV's. He stopped and looked at them; the TV's were currently showing some sort of Anime on them, though he couldn't remember which one it was exactly. However, it looked interesting, so he watched it. Calin jumped in surprise as, oddly, the TV shut off. It now had a black screen on it. Frowning, he turned to walk away, thinking that it had been shut off by someone from inside, before a glint and a sound caught his attention. _Young Jiyasaki, boredom does not suit a boy of your age. Look within, and find the solution to your boredom, and your insecurity. Come to what calls your very soul and nature. Look inside the screen _said a voice. It seemed to be coming from the TV, but that couldn't happen, could it? The object was off. Frowning some more, he looked around to find the voice, but he saw no one. Even more strange, a light was coming from the screen. He stared at it, the light seemingly pulling him into it as it grew to encompass the entire once-dark screen. To any passerby's, they would only see a turned off TV and an empty spot where once an eleven year-old boy had stood.

Like Calin Jiyasaki, another figure walked the streets of her hometown Cairo, Egypt, though for different reasons. Her parents weren't rich like his, but neither were they poor; one could say they were of middle class. The girl walking the streets, 13 year-old Kakrasi Hieh, was looking for her younger twin brother, Atsuhar Hieh. The brown tan toned skin of the girl was mostly covered from her face on downwards with her clothing, and she wore a plain, white hat on top of her flowing black hair-which went down past her shoulders-to keep the sun off her face and out of her eyes. She had lived here for most of her life, and the tan-grey tone of her clothes showed this. They were light colors, and light clothes, so that she wouldn't get over-heated in the hot desert sun.

"Kakra! What are you doing outside?" a voice called. She looked over at the speaker, a boy about her age who also shared her hair and light brown colored eyes, and she smiled. That voice could only be her brother, and Kakra was her nickname. She was told that Kakra was the way to say twin for a female, and her brother's name, Atsu, was the way to say twin for a male.

"I was looking for you, Atsu. Mom says it's time to come home. You've been out all day!" the female girl replied, both twins now having a smile on their faces. They were definitely optimistic ones. Atsu nodded, and the two turned around and made their way down the street back to their home, Kakra brushing small grains of sand from her shirt; Atsu had thrown a handful of the yellow and white stuff at her playfully. Shaking her head slightly, she continued on walking. They soon came to a house much like the others on the street, and walked in; this was their home. Their mother had left the radio on after going into her room to continue the painting that she was working on. Seeing this, Atsu walked over to it and made to turn it off, but before he could the music stopped. He looked over at Kakra and beckoned for her to come over, and she did so. Words soon seemed to come from the radio itself.

_Hieh twins, you will always be there to support each other, and keep the other safe. Now is the time to meet your destiny, and the others who share your fate. The two of you have the duty of keeping the others like you safe, and being with them throughout hardships, keeping your ties of friendship strong. They await you. _A frown crossed the faces of both of the twins, and they glanced at each other again, and each shrugged before looking back at the radio. A strange radiance was coming from the radio's antennae, and they watched it with shared looks. They felt like they were being sucked down into a whirlpool. Not long after, their mother came back into the room to see who was there, and seeing no one, she walked over to the radio which was now playing the song from earlier again. She shut it off, and went back to work on her painting.

If Rikui and Calin thought that they were bored, they didn't know what the feeling was like. They hadn't ever been so bored out of their wits that some silly childish thing like coloring suddenly seemed like the best thing in the world. They hadn't experienced a thirst for telling tales, for not doing homework and then coming up with things that are inexcusable lies, yet everyone takes them as the truth. For Vannon Carson was good at coming up with lies. Some could call him a pathological liar; still others could call the fifteen year-old the most honest teenager. Depends on what you knew of him, as well as your past experiences with the boy. It also depended on if you were someone worth sucking up to or someone worth being on your good side. A psychologist would probably pronounce him as mentally unstable and send him off to an institution with some therapy sessions; his parents, teachers, and classmates would call him brilliant.

Vannon Carson never did horribly in school. He was a kind, smart, honest individual. Whenever a new student came to town, he would always be the first to become their friend, and he would show that person around the school. He always volunteered to hand out papers, and all his teachers trusted him with things like bringing the attendance sheets to the office, keeping track of the score for games, and other such stuff. No one seemed to get that it was all a game for this boy from Moscow, Russia; no one seemed to get that he was a liar and a manipulator at heart. As good as he was at lying, he was even better at hiding his innermost nature.

Thus, it leads to his current actions. Vannon was currently in the computer lab of his school, typing up a speech that he was supposed to say during the assembly tomorrow in honor of the graduating students. He paused in his typing for a moment, tapping a pen lightly against the keyboard as he thought. Frowning, he deleted the last sentence that he had written. It hadn't gone with the rest of the piece at all. His once brown eyes were tinted a distinct black; products of the black-tinted contacts that he wore. When he took the contacts off, his normal, light brown-hazel colored eyes could be seen. Eyes that didn't seem to go with his violet-blue or indigo hair color-he had dyed it that color a little more than a year ago. It used to be brown, like his eyes, but he didn't like that color much. Interfered with his thinking process and how he wanted to be received by people. Or so he thought.

He frowned once more. A few lines down from where he had been typing his speech, some other typing had begun to appear. The odd thing was that his hands were far from the keyboard. He read it out loud:

_Vannon Carson, your home is not what you think it is. So many secrets…so many things kept hidden. It is time that you share your inner self with others. It is time you feel a sense of being, a sense that you belong. You are not alone._

An hour later a teacher came in to see how Vannon's progress was going. She only saw the screen with his almost done speech on it and an empty chair. Vannon was gone, and the search for the missing boy would soon begin.

Over in London, England, Kiyar Sargo was sleeping. It was a few hours before dawn, and the blond haired boy was blissfully filled with non-existent dreams in his light-sleeping mood. Yes, he was a light sleeper. If someone were to walk into his room right at that moment, he would wake up, and wonder what someone was doing in his room at this late hour. Unluckily for him, the thing that woke him up was not a person; it was the sudden blaring of the lamp on his bedside table that interrupted the fourteen year-olds sleep. He groggily opened his dark blue eyes, squinted at the light that filled them. They were used to the lamp light, and were still in sleeping mode. "Wha…"he questioned in a voice still filled with his tired self; he just wanted to sleep, and whoever turned on the light wasn't very nice. "Turn off the light mom…." He murmured, rolling over onto his side and pulling a blanket up over his face.

_Kiyar Sargo. I am not your mother, nor is now the time to sleep. I need you. Others your age and younger need you. You are destined as a Chosen, boy, and now is not the time to be filled with happy dreams or horrible nightmares. Time waits for no one. Wake up, get dressed, and come. We will be waiting for you._

Kiyar frowned and threw off the blanket, staring up at his blue painted ceiling for a while. He didn't get anything that the odd-sounding voce had said, and there wasn't anyone around, either. The voice then repeated its previous words, this time in what seemed a more urgent tone. Sighing, he stood up and pulled on a blue shirt and jeans, and he put on his sneakers. He grabbed his backpack and stuffed some food into it as well as a flashlight and his cell phone, and made his way to the door. Before he could even go two steps, the lamp sucked him in and the room was left empty. The lamp was also shut off.

Like Kiyar Sargo, Soren Yars was also asleep in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Though his morning wake up time was sooner than Kiyar's, he was still fast asleep. His strawberry red colored hair seemed small in comparison to his big, white, fluffy pillow. The multitude of freckles on his face were indiscernible in the dark, though if one knew the Irish you could probably get that he had freckles all over his twelve year-old body. His light blue eyes were firmly closed, and he wore the clothes that he would wear in the morning while he slept. He wore a white shirt and brown pants, plain and simple, which was how the rather uncaring, seemingly cold boy liked it. He had no friends, nor did he socialize all that often; he tended to be quiet, yet when he did speak, it was meaningful. He also seemed to be without feelings in regard to others.

His peaceful dreaming of riding his horse Lightning over the plains was interrupted by a loud, annoying, and ear-piercing beeping. It was his alarm clock. He reached over to shut it off, but before he could, it shut off on its own. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed, staring at the clock. It shouldn't have gone off for another hour at least. That was when the least thing he had expected happened; the alarm clock _talked._

_Soren Yars, your differences often set you apart, and make it so that your innermost nature is rarely ever seen. It is time to throw off the shields of your childhood and show people who you really are, to engage with others at last. This I say to you, and this I say to all Chosen. It is time for you to come to where you belong._

The boy didn't know that appliances could talk. They couldn't, could they? Yet here he was, listening intently to the things every word. What was wrong with it? Was it broken? More importantly, what was wrong with _him?_ _I must be going crazy_…he decided, shaking his head. _I must be becoming really crazy…the sun is making my room white…_Indeed his room was becoming a mass of blinding light, though it wasn't the sun. The whiteness was coming from the alarm clock, and like the other Chosen around the world, he too disappeared from where he should have been.

Unlike both Kiyar and Soren, Ryena Aresin was quite awake. She was, in fact, sitting under a tree in a park close to her house in Queens, New York. The young nine year-old girl was playing a game on her game boy, happily engrossed in it. She liked playing games; they let her escape from the real world, and then she didn't have to think about all the annoying, bratty, evil other kids of her age. Well, she was kind of bratty herself, but you'd never find her admitting that. After awhile of playing, her dark green eyes looked up and wandered over this kid and his dog that had just run past her; the kid was older than her, but she sent him an annoyed look. The horrid barking of the boy's dog had interrupted her concentrated, and she had lost a life. She _never_ lost a life. Actually she did, but again, she wouldn't admit that. She was the 'I'll-pretend-that-I'm-perfect' brand of a kid, and she knew it. She was also quite outspoken about her rights and opinions, and when she got going in a tirade, it was nearly impossible to shut her up.

She smiled slightly to herself and brushed a lock of her brown hair away from her face, concentrating once more on her game. But…the game wasn't showing up on her screen. She frowned at it and whacked it several times with her hand, only to no avail. Thinking that she had run out of battery power the girl muttered a curse under her breathe before leaning back against a tree. Only to be startled a moment later as this white light and voice came from her beloved game boy.

_Outspoken Ryena Aresin, your views and ideas are direly needed. Your clear head will help the group. You belong with the others like you, others who will listen to what you say. Come to the world which is so mirrored after the things that you love. Step away from the boundaries of what you believe to be real and step into your adventure._

Like all the others before her, Ryena was soon sucked up into the game boy, though unlike the others the object used for telling her the message went with her. All nine of the children had disappeared at the exact same time, and it would take a good detective to find out this. No one would realize the connection between them for awhile, and link it to what had happened to the other Chosen in the past. Those nine were the Chosen of destiny.

In the Digital World which the Chosen were heading towards, a figure sat back in her chair and sighed lightly. She was relieved; they had been called just in time. Even now, her screens which had allowed her to pick out the children were dulling and becoming black. The evil of the Digital World did not like having screens into the human world exist which he could not control. This was Ariana, a human female around 23 years old. She had been one of three females in the last group of Digi-destined, out of five. Five hadn't been enough-they had failed, though the Digital World hadn't been destroyed. The evil that was now running things had just been allowed to grow, to become even more powerful. It was up to the nine children.

She hated choosing them like this…and she hated lying to them even more. Well, she wasn't lying exactly, but she wasn't telling them everything. There was a whole lot more to their own pasts that they didn't even understand. The one of time would eventually be able to understand, as well as the one of courage; they would help the others to that understanding. All of them had their destiny…and no one, not even she, knew exactly what that was. She hated the unknowns more than anything else. But like they had to learn, so too did she. It was time for her to head off to meet them. Ariana stood up, made her way to the door in shadows at the back room and opened it. She took one last look around before shutting off the lights and closing the door behind her, never to return to that room herself. That was for another at another time. A shadowed figure padded along besides her as she walked down the hall.

Thus we were the Chosen; the group of children picked out to save the Digital World from a growing evil that we didn't know existed yet. We didn't even know there was a place beyond our own world, thought it was all made-up Television. All except for Ryena, that is. She was the youngest of us, and still held on to the belief that all the stories and the things in movies and on TV were real. She was the smartest of us, and the only one who was right at that point in time. Though, deep down inside, Kiyar and I knew that the place existed. We just couldn't explain how we knew back then; I now know why, but that's something for a later date. For now, let it suffice that we were the Chosen for a quest that was as big a mystery to us back then as it is for you right at this moment in the telling. We would learn. Oh yes, we would learn.

There were nine of us Chosen; Ari, Calin, Kakra, Atsu, Ry, Soren, Vannon, Kiyar, and myself, Rikui, also known to the group as Rik. Those were what we called ourselves, along with other things; other elements, other feelings. Nine, when the original plan had called for eight. Nine of us to fight the growing evil; some could call that an advantage in our favor, right? None would call it what it was till a much later date; disaster. We were the Chosen destined for….disaster? No. That's not the right word. There's another meaning to exactly what we were destined for, but you'll find that out later. Only know that it had something to do with fire, time, dark, earth, ice, air, thunder, water, and light. Only know that it also had to deal with will, hope, courage, kindness, protection, freedom, friendship, unity, and deception.

That was us back then, and that was us throughout, and that was us at the end. That's even what we are now. There's so much to tell, but not enough time. Time…one of us would know more about that then any other. The one who was symbolic of time was a dear friend of mine. Oh yes. Time is a very important thing in our tale of what happened, as is deception, unity, friendship, and courage. We were all so different, yet all so alike. Now you know the beginning, the way that we were chosen and who chose us, as well as who we are and the way that we came together. Sort of-we haven't met. There's still much that you don't know yet. Still so much that I don't know, and of anyone partaking in this tale, I should know the most out of anyone. After all, I am the one telling it. We all have changed so much from that first day…


	3. Tidings of Fate Part One

**Destined To Be Deceived**

Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter. Some of the names of Digimon here come from the German language. Here's a list of them and what the name means:

Talismon Das Tal means 'The Valley' in German

Ebenemon: Die Ebene means 'The Plain' in German

There are going to be some more Digimon names that come from German words, and possibly even other languages, so look for them in future chapters.

-----------Divider---------

**Chapter Two: Tidings of Fate (Part One)**

In a field in the Digital World, a small group of four Digimon waited. One lay calmly on the grass, one was laying on a branch up on the only tree in the field, the third was pacing back and forth, and the fourth was finding a comfortable spot on a rock. All four Digimon looked different in their forms as well as coloring, though some colors were repeated. The first Digimon's eyes were closed as she rested patiently, the only female out of the four. "Irmon, stop pacing. They'll get here eventually," she stated, her eyelids uncovering emerald colored eyes. She looked very much like a small fox with her bushy orange colored tail wrapped around her body and legs, her head raised on a slender neck a little higher than the rest of her. The ears on the small creature were a green color much like her eyes, and she had a blue marking on her head below her ears that looked very much like a droplet of water. She was easily the smallest one there.

The young pacer stopped and looked over at her, shaking his head roughly. "They're taking too long. I'll pace as long as I want to Kiromon," Irmon replied before starting to pace again impatiently. Irmon was a smallish Digimon like Kiromon, but he wasn't as small as she was. However, he was the second smallest Digimon there. He looked much like a small Black Labrador puppy with his black colored fur and blue colored eyes. However, there were a few things that marked him as different than a black lab puppy; for one thing, his forelegs have a white stripe running down from the joint between body and leg, all the way to the bottom third of each foreleg. The bottom third of each foreleg is white. Secondly, there is a triangle-shaped pattern of four markings above his nose. The top marking of the triangle is red in color, the one directly below that is white, the one to the right of that is yellow, and the one to the left of the white is orange. Besides those differences, there was also the streak of color running from the tips of his ears to his tail, which branched out in two. This streak was colored orange, red, and yellow very much like the colors of fire.

"You do know the meaning of patience, right?" the one sitting on the rock asked, a faintly amused look reflected in his beady black eyes that looked very much like a hamsters. This Digimon's eyes related very much to his name, Wrathmon. Unlike the others, his body was colored with one shade; a dark red which highly resembled the liquid called blood. However, he did have one marking which resided on his left front leg; a yellow colored shape which appeared to be an hourglass. In overall appearance, he looked much like a large feline, and seemed to be the largest out of the four.

"I honestly don't think that he does. Irmon never shows patience. Always rushing off to do things against Ariana and Damian's will…" the last of the four replied in an amused tone as he shifted on the tree's branch. He flicked his red forked tongue out of his mouth with a hiss, before retracting it again. True to the tongue, this one looked very much like a lizard. His body was all green, too, though his eyes were yellow. The small tail that hung over the branch and drooped into the open space was also yellow. On the underside of his body, the belly, he had a white colored star-shaped marking.

"Talismon, you know that your not supposed to say their names…They shouldn't even still be in the Digital World, remember?" Kiromon reminded the reptile Digimon with a shake of her head, sighing a little. Why was she stuck with these three as company…?

"Right," Talismon replied, muttering quietly to himself about the annoying Kiromon and some of the others that they were waiting for. After all, she couldn't hear him from down there, could she? Kiromon actually could, and she shot a glare in his direction before looking back over at the other two.

----------Divider----------

Back near the tower that she had just left, Ariana walked along with her partner, heading for a lone Digimon not too far away from the said tower. She passed trees thick with leaves, bushes, logs, and other such things. Very little sunlight came through the thick foliage. This was exactly how she liked things, and how she knew Parimon, the Digimon she was looking for, liked things. She soon came upon the small rabbit-like Digimon waiting under a bush. Parimon was all white, and he had two small white wings poking out from his back. The only splash of color besides the white was a green leaf on the top of each wing, seeable whenever the wings beat, his dark blue eyes, and his green colored tail. Currently, the wings were folded carefully at his side. "Hello, dear Parimon. I realize its short notice, but you are needed," she said, crouching done in front of him.

"I know. I sense the coming of…a friend. He's not here yet," Parimon replied, stretching out his wings. He flapped them and flew up into the air; the woman stood up and turned around, beginning to walk away. Her partner, who had remained unseen, followed along after Parimon and Ariana.

"The boy is coming along with some others. Just like we discussed was a possibility, though we weren't sure. It seems that the number has indeed increased to nine instead of the original eight," Ariana replied as she nodded.

----------Divider----------

Approaching the small field where the four watched and waited came another small group of Digimon, this one also numbering four. It seemed that four was a good number for them coming together. These newly arrived four had come from farther away than the ones that they came to meet, yet still not as far as Ariana and Parimon had to travel. That pair would probably not arrive for another few hours. Like the four already waiting, this group was also diverse. The one in the lead was a mix of both pink and purple in lighter shades that swirled in a pretty pattern along her form, and her small sized ears poked up from a head that was about half the size of her body, and she walked around on only two legs. She didn't have a tail, and could be said to closely resemble a teddy bear except that she didn't have arms and her legs were longer. She was a good deal bigger than the normal teddy bear that existed on earth; if it was remarked to her that she looked like the stuffy toy, she'd probably ask what the thing was. This medium sized Digimon-medium-sized for a rookie level, that is-was called Jinamon. Besides her coloring she had a dark shaded marking on her left ear that looked like a cloud except in blue.

The Digimon walking closest to Jinamon looked fairly similar, except where she was pink and purple he was black. He also had a tail poking out from the end of his back, and unlike her he walked on four legs. He didn't resemble a teddy bear-he resembled a black bear, and was about twice the size of Jinamon. Sarimon was certainly one of the largest Rookie level Digimon around, and he knew it. His tail, paws, and left ear were red tipped, and his eyes were also red. His right ear was entirely red except for a small yellow marking in the shape of a bolt of lightning-something along the lines of the scar that Harry Potter had on his forehead except this was on the ear and it was yellow.

The two walking behind Jinamon and Sarimon couldn't be more different. For one thing, the one on the left was all white and looked very much like a miniature version of a female deer, though he was male. The only thing about him that wasn't white was the blue icicle shaped marking on his right front leg. Very much like the plains that the animal he looked like enjoyed running through and eating the grass, his name was Ebenemon, and he was the smallest in the group that had just arrived.

The fourth and last Digimon of this small group of four was in the middle between Jinamon and Ebenemon size wise. His coloring was a mix of a very dark shade of blue, grey, and black depending on what part of his body you were looking at. His head, neck, ears, feet, and tail are entirely grey, his body dark blue with a grey tinge to it. He has two wings poking out of the sides of his body, and they are where his black comes in. His eyes are also black, and they have a somewhat….odd look to them. They could almost be said to look cool as ice, with a look that speaks plainly of arrogance. His tail has a curve in it like an Alaskan Malamute. The Digimon was known as Carcinimon, and he has a strange marking on his left back leg. The marking takes up the entire front side of his leg and wraps around to cover a little bit of the side of the leg, and it seemed to be some sort of a shadow marking in black. That marking was the only splash of black besides his two wings.

All eight of the gathering Digimon had one thing in common, along with Parimon; they all had a marking in the shape of something somewhere on their body. The one possible exception was Irmon; however he had a streak of color that was in the place of a marking. The odd thing was that the others of their kind didn't have the marking; they were all special in that light. The normal Sarimon didn't have the bolt of lightning, nor did the normal Irmon have the flame streak, nor the usual Carcinimon the shadow-like marking. The new arrivals exchanged greetings with the ones that had been their earlier, and they soon settled down to wait.

Ariana, Parimon, and the young woman's partner approached the group of waiting digimon after a few hours; Ariana's tower wasn't too far away from this gathering place. The young woman surveyed those who had gathered, some of whom were watching Parimon curiously-they hadn't expected him to come along as well. "Well, it seems you've all made it here in one piece. The children are on their way at this moment and will be here soon," Ariana stated once she had looked them all over.

"What's Parimon doing here? He hasn't been matched up with one of them, has he? If he has, whose place is he taking?" Jinamon questioned; she was one of the ones that were eyeing the newly arrived Parimon.

"Calm it. I'm not taking anyone's place. Apparently, something goofed and there's a ninth child heading this way. What I want to know is how this changes things; Ariana, there are only five of you humans besides the coming children, and you have already split up for this plan of yours. I hope that you have a plan to get that extra device," Parimon replied, shooting Jinamon a slightly annoyed look.

"Thing is, I don't have an answer to that question. I don't know how or where I'll be able to find one. That's why I'll be heading over to speak to D once I've had a talk with the children," Ariana replied as she shook her head a little. At this statement a clamor rose up, all the digimon talking at once, until she sought to bring back order to the group. "Quiet! Do you want to be found out? You're all sworn to secrecy, remember." With that they all fell silent, and the wait began again.

----------Divider----------

Remember how I mentioned that we had all changed a lot from that first day? Well, guess what; the first day of our group will soon be able to be understood. It wasn't the first day that we disappeared from the world that we had previously thought of as the only world; it was the first day that we appeared in the Digital world. Back then, we were all stupid. Yes, stupid. We were filled with misconceptions, untruths, a wonder at this new world and the partners that we had just gained, along with wonder at ourselves. That was the first day that we realized we were all something more, something different from the rest of our peers.

Out of all the children on earth we were the ones who were picked out to deal with this threat to both our worlds. We didn't know just how connected they were but we would learn. This tale has a lot to do about learning both about ourselves and about others, and about the things that we had been taught were right. Though we were the ones chosen, there's still one problem; to this day I'm still not sure if we were the right ones for the job.

Enough of that. It's time to turn back to the story; from here on out it only gets interesting. After all, nine children are about to enter a world that they know almost nothing about, and they are going to be set on a quest that has a whole lot more to it than what we were told on that first day.

----------Divider---------

_Hiro, there are those elsewhere who need you. They are calling to you, Hirotashi, and you must come meet them. Look inside yourself and find the strength to go and see who they are, to find them. You are direly needed._

_Tiysuki, the boy who is calm in the face of everything that comes your way. Your will and inner strength are needed, as well as your sense of what is right. Look inside, and find what is needed. Everything that you will ever need resides in there._

_Young Jiyasaki, boredom does not suit a boy of your age. Look within, and find the solution to your boredom, and your insecurity. Come to what calls your very soul and nature. Look inside the screen._

_Hieh twins, you will always be there to support each other, and keep the other safe. Now is the time to meet your destiny, and the others who share your fate. The two of you have the duty of keeping the others like you safe, and being with them throughout hardships, keeping your ties of friendship strong. They await you._

_Vannon Carson, your home is not what you think it is. So many secrets…so many things kept hidden. It is time that you share your inner self with others. It is time you feel a sense of being, a sense that you belong. You are not alone._

_Kiyar Sargo. I am not your mother, nor is now the time to sleep. I need you. Others your age and younger need you. You are destined as a Chosen, boy, and now is not the time to be filled with happy dreams or horrible nightmares. Time waits for no one. Wake up, get dressed, and come. We will be waiting for you._

_Soren Yars, your differences often set you apart, and make it so that your innermost nature is rarely ever seen. It is time to throw off the shields of your childhood and show people who you really are, to engage with others at last. This I say to you, and this I say to all Chosen. It is time for you to come to where you belong._

_Outspoken Ryena Aresin, your views and ideas are direly needed. Your clear head will help the group. You belong with the others like you, others who will listen to what you say. Come to the world which is so mirrored after the things that you love. Step away from the boundaries of what you believe to be real and step into your adventure._

Those were the thoughts going round and round the heads of the nine children as they moved from the human world to the digital world in what seemed like an area of bright white light; each of them had their eyes closed. The young children were each afraid in their own minds, not knowing what was happening and what would come next. It was only natural for those who would soon reach a new world.

Back in the field where the Digimon and the lone human waited, the air in front of them began to look a little weird. A little morphed, it could be said, as the blue mixture and white coloring of the clouds mixed with the color of the grass upon which they stood, creating a swirl of color that just wasn't…natural. Out from this swirl of color popped the nine children, one of them at a time-except in the case of Arian and Rikui, Kakrasi and Atsuhar-and once all were deposited on the ground the sky was returned to normal.

Vannon was the first one to recover, standing up on somewhat shaky legs and looking around. He frowned a little when he saw the other children nearby lieing on the ground-that one girl couldn't be more than nine or ten years old. As his eyes took in the rest of the area, he stared at the…creatures…not too far away from the children. They were definitely not normal.

Carcinimon eyed the nine children in front of him, looking Vannon over from head to toe. "Doesn't seem like the friendly sort, now does he?" the Digimon remarked, glancing back at his companions. Ariana shook her head at this, sighing a little; it certainly hadn't been her idea to pick that one out….Darn Aidan and his stupid ideas about which ones of the human children would be the perfect chosen. She didn't know how much help the fifteen year-old boy would be, or why the child of Carisronimon's one-time partner seemed to be such a popular choice among her co-workers. Who knew what that one would do once he learned that his father had once been a part of the inner workings of the Digital World. Ariana had never been a very trusting individual-it had taken her forever to trust the four others that had been the Digi-destined with her those many years ago.

While Ariana stood there contemplating the merits of each of the children, the rest of them began to stir. Atsu and Kakra were the next ones to stand up, the two twins sharing a look of bewilderment before looking around. Kakra started to walk off so that she could better explore this place, but she was stopped when Arian placed a hand on her shoulder. The older boy was taller than her, but not by too much-she was in the middle of a growth spurt. "I wouldn't wander off. Who knows how vicious those things are…" he said quietly, his light grey eyes carefully observing the girl. Kakra looked over her shoulder and took in his neat, sandy brown hair, smiling a little at him.

"We aren't vicious!" Irmon stated in response to Arian's words, earning a whack from Kiromon's swishing tail. "Well, I'm not!" he stated emphatically, glancing around him. Kiromon stood up onto her four legs, arching her back in a stretch briefly before she made her way on over to where Arian and Kakrasi were.

"I like this one. She's lively. I'm Kiromon. What's your name, girl?" Kiromon asked, sitting on her back legs and stretching out her front paws. Kakra looked between Irmon and Kiromon, a little confused. So, the things could talk?

"I'm Kakrasi Hieh. My brother over there is Atsuhar, but people call us Kakra and Atsu," she told the digimon, smiling down at the fuzzy creature. "Who are you?" she asked, tilting her head a little to the side as she looked over her shoulder at Arian. The boy had removed her hand from her shoulder, though that was probably due to the glare on her twin brother's face. He didn't like people touching his sister…

"My name's Arian Tiysuki. It's nice to meet you, Kakra," Arian replied, smiling back at the girl. She seemed pretty nice. He glanced over at Atsuhar and gave him an amused look before he looked down at Kiromon. "Do you know where this place is little one?"

"It's the Digital World," Sarimon told him, nodding slightly. The other digimon had been quietly observing the children-all of them were standing now-trying to pick out which one was to be their new partners. They were all so new to this…none of them was that old. The children also looked like a confused lot, and the younger two looked a little scared; Kiyar was trying to comfort them.

"Good. Now, children, my name is Ariana Kirsh. There'll be time enough for you to introduce yourselves to each other and to the Digimon-your partners-later on. For now, I need to tell you some things. First off, I'm going to put you all in pairs-one Digimon and one human child. The pairs are Rikui and Irmon, Arian and Parimon, Calin and Talismon, Kakrasi and Kiromon, Atsuhar and Sarimon, Ryena and Jinamon, Soren and Ebenemon, Vannon and Carcinimon, Kiyar and Wrathmon," Ariana stated, eyes shifting between each of the children as she named them off.

As she named each of them in turn, the children looked over at their new Digimon partners. None of them knew what the meaning of 'Digimon partner' was-except for Ryena. She remembered the games that she had played on her Game Boy, and the shows that she had watched on television. This all seemed so…familiar. She looked at Jinamon in delight, the frightened look to her from a few minutes ago banished; Kiyar was pretty good as calming people that were younger than him down.

Arian, meanwhile, was eyeing Ariana suspiciously-and wondering why their names were so similar. Ariana's was almost exactly like his, except for the extra 'a'. He listened to her words, realizing that they were probably important, and storing them in the back of his mind for his use later on.

Ariana nodded in satisfaction when she noticed that they were actually paying attention; and then she frowned. So, one of them liked playing games, did he? "Rikui Hirotashi, pay attention. If you'd be so kind, Irmon?" she asked, one eyebrow rising as she shook her head slightly. The puppy-like Digimon nodded, crouched down, and sprang at the fourteen year-old, swiping at his head with one paw as gravity pulled him back down to the ground. Rikui rubbed at his head where the paw had hit him, glaring at Irmon. Stupid 'partner'….

"Now, then. You nine are what are called the Digi-destined. It's your destiny to save the Digital World, or to fail and have it destroyed. Lovely thought, isn't it? Anyway, you are all basically the Chosen to fulfill a hard, dangerous, and long quest. Just like what's in the stories back on your home planet," Ariana continued once she had their attention. "Your partners can fill you in later. I have business elsewhere that I must attend to, so I have to make this quick and simple. Your first task is to find a Damian Circa; he will have something for you, as well as your next instructions."

"Wait a minute, why do we have to find this 'Damian Circa'? And why can't _you _give us these instructions?" Rikui asked, shooting another glare, except in the direction of Ariana. What was with all these secrets?

"Like I said, I have some things to do, places to be. That's all that you need to know right now," Ariana replied, and with that she turned around and walked away, leaving the children and the Digimon alone to fend for themselves and to figure out where they needed to go.

Well, now you know who we are. Or at least, you think you do. If there's one thing that you learn and take with you, remember this; nothing is ever as it seems. Yeah, I know, you've probably been told that a thousand times….but it's true. Particularly with what happened to us. It's important, too, so store that in the back of your mind for later. That's the only thing that you can do at this point.

---------Divider----------

Note: Well, there's the next chapter. Sorry about taking forever to get it all typed up. The next one shouldn't take as long-I have a lot more time now to work on it. After all, it's summer. Again, sorry about that.

Dot cubed: Heh…Anyway, there –were- dividers in the original chapter in word. I guess that fanfiction chopped the things out. I sort of have it planned to have a little bit of that first person stuff in every chapter. I guess that you could call old-Rikui the 'analytical mind accessing everything' or something. Or just the narrator. Both work. I have some plans for the first person stuff later on.

Glory: See, I don't have that much information from the first season-I've only watched the beginning episodes. Most of my information about Digimon comes from what I've looked up/what I saw in the second and fourth seasons. As for dear Vannon…he's shaping up to be one of my favorite characters, along with Kiyar. Originally, I was thinking that Vannon's –last- name would be Kiyar….but then I created a whole new character using that name, because I like the way things turn out with Kiyar. I like him more than old-Rikui, and I'm already planning some….interesting…things with that one. At least, I find them interesting. I'm already really excited for the last chapter-so much that I've already written out part of it.

Dark Quiviut: Thanks for reading and it really didn't take you long to review it-you pretty much reviewed it soon after I put it up. It's my fault for taking forever.

Now….a cookie goes to whoever can figure out who the "child of Carisronimon's one-time partner" is, as well as who Carisronimon is in the first place. Either way, you'll find out later, but it's always interesting to learn the ideas based on what's been included so far.


End file.
